CentralNotice From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation , search The unexpected hanging paradox or hangman paradox is a paradox about a person's expectations about the timing of a future event that he is told will occur at an unexpected time. The paradox is variously applied to a prisoner's hanging, or a surprise school test. Despite significant academic interest, there is no consensus on its precise nature and consequently a final correct resolution has not yet been established. [ 1 ] One approach, offered by the logical school of thought, suggests that the problem arises in a self-contradictory self-referencing statement at the heart of the judge's sentence. Another approach, offered by the epistemological school of thought, suggests the unexpected hanging paradox is an example of an epistemic paradox because it turns on our concept of knowledge . [ 2 ...